


Our Lord of the Underground

by insertcleveracejoke



Series: Hadestown AU -- Let the Fates create a happy ending [16]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Hadestown AU, I'll answer a question to the person who figure out whats the thing in this one, M/M, Save Me, Sorry for the delay, and husband, anyway, but ya know not more than Persephone does in the musical, i went and got myself in a bunch of new fandoms, just Virgil being Gay and Patton conspiring against his own king, still Not Cheating, that seems impossible if youve read the last ones, this... actually doesnt have a bunch of angst huh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-27 22:45:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16711414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insertcleveracejoke/pseuds/insertcleveracejoke
Summary: The Underworld felt cold, but Patton was a solid source of warmth pressed to his side, a bright smile in his face that was a somewhat shocking contrast to his expression just a few minutes ago. But then again, maybe Virgil shouldn't have been surprised. It quite reminded him of rain in the summer that happened fast as lighthning and ended in a few minutes.(He tried not to think about storms. It was easy. Patton's smile was even more distracting than his hand in Virgil's.)





	Our Lord of the Underground

They walk through the crowd of shimmering spirits in the streets in very much the same way a deer comes out of the morning mist. Patton was still holding Virgil's hand as if it was the easiest thing to do in the world and the new spirit found himself wishing he wouldn't let go. (Virgil felt guilty. He wasn't supposed to enjoy this. Roman was suffering, and Patton wasn't his to hold hands with. He would never be his.)

(The sun belongs to no one, but you can still reach out your hand... )

The Underworld felt cold, but Patton was a solid source of warmth pressed to his side, a bright smile in his face that was a somewhat shocking contrast to his expression just a few minutes ago. But then again, maybe Virgil shouldn't have been surprised. It quite reminded him of rain in the summer that happened fast as lighthning and ended in a few minutes.

(He tried not to think about storms. It was easy. Patton's smile was even more distracting than his hand in Virgil's.)

There had been a few other nymphs in the street and the god had waved at them in a characterist cheerful manner that had the new spirit remembering Logan saying that Patton had created most of the Underworld's minor deities. He wondered what it was that made the god so against the idea of him staying. Did Patton just not want him near Logan? That'd be fair, even though... Was he just worried about Roman? (And here he felt a flash of anger- how dare he, Virgil thought, how dare he be angry at Logan for the decision I made when Patton left Roman behind without as much of a goodbye. He crushed the anger down.) Maybe Patton just didn't like what he thought of as sad endings. 

"Where are we going?", Virgil asked.

"We're almost there."

It wasn't a real answer, but he didn't push.

Patton looked up and scowled at the high walls. Virgil wondered why, when the gates were so obviously open, inviting and accepting. Then he noticed the thousands of barely visible ghosts and realized Patton was angry not only at the walls themselves but also at the use of the spirits to build them.

It didn't make sense. Now a little closer, Virgil could see their eyes. They made him shudder. Cruelty and hatred- he felt a little relieved they were so obviously tied to the construction. And it wasn't really that different from prisons making the criminals work, was it? 

"Here", Patton said and gently pulled Virgil to a small shop near the wall. It was dark, but not dusty, and the lights flickered on despite the god's grimace. Virgil couldn't be sure of what was in the jars all over the place, but he thought he saw something shimmering.

"Er, I think it's closed..."

"Not anymore", he said cheerfully, flipping the small plaque that now announced the shop was OPEN. Patton looked around. "I know you're all here- thanks for keeping an eye here for me! But show yourselves, guys, I want to introduce someone to you."

It was a little like the dawn, Virgil thought, finding that, surprisingly, he wasn't afraid. Slowly at first and then faster, the shop proved itself to be full of ghosts that seemed absolutely delighted to see Patton again, among a few others that were probably new.

"My sir! It's been so long! Did you enjoy the surface?"

"Did you see the sun?"

"Sir! Sir! How are the people?"

"Did you bring-"

"Shh! Sir, we're glad you're back home."

"Awww, guys, I'm glad to be home too!", Patton beamed. "It's been so long! I see a few new ectoplasmas here! Who are you, kiddos?"

In a slightly sibilant voice, the new ghosts shyly introduced themselves. Virgil stared at them. They didn't seem as miserable as he would expect, just- yes, just frustrasted and antsy, as someone who had spent a long time doing their best and now had found out their best wouldn't do anything down here. It was a little depressing.

"It's so nice to meet you, even though I'd rather have done so on the surface. Kiddos, this is Virgil, he's new here- my husband brought him. Be nice!"

"Hello, Virgil."

"Uh", he said, with a vague feeling that he had somehow entered a strange support group. "Hi."

"Have you told the new ones my name, Sarah?", Patton asked one ghost who had the appearance of an old woman. She shook her head.

"You know bloody well we never do, boy."

"Language!", Patton said laughing. "Kiddos, what's my name?"

"Our Lord of the Underground", Sarah said grinning.

Virgil suddenly remembered the workers and their relutance to say the god's name as the god kept trying to make the spirits say it, a smile in his face that showed he wasn't annoyed or bothered by their refusal to do so.

"Kiddos, what's my name?"

"Our Lord of Ways, Our Lord of Means..."

The deity glanced at Virgil and gave him a nervous smile. "Kiddos, what's my name? My name is..."

"Our Lord of the Upside Down."

"I'll tell you my name", he sighed still smiling. "Patton."

 

Later, while Virgil had been brought outside by Sarah and treated to old, old stories about Patton involving anger and protection (he then vowed never to anger the deity, the whole 'beind dead' thing aside), Patton would share sunshine and moonlight and flowers as freely as he had shared food and shelter in the surface and Virgil would never know about it. It simply wouldn't do to make him try to choose between keeping Patton's secret or being loyal to Logan.

Later he would not see the spirits slipping through an unseen crack, only the ones who needed it the most, and floating towards where Emile always waited.

But by now he saw Patton's smile, and it was more precious to him than the sunlight that only ever reached the Underworld in jars.


End file.
